About Roaches
Cockroaches are resilient insects that thrive anywhere they can find warmth, moisture, food, and shelter. They are common household pests across the United States and can quickly establish large indoor populations if not addressed early.
What Do Roaches Look Like?
Roaches have flat, oval bodies, six legs, long antennae, and a tough exoskeleton. Adults typically measure ½ inch to over 2 inches long, depending on the species. Nymphs are smaller, wingless, and molt several times as they mature. Many species have wings, but only a few fly regularly.
Their coloring ranges from light brown to reddish-brown to nearly black, and their bodies are built to hide easily inside tight gaps, wall voids, and appliances.
California-Specific Roaches
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The Turkestan cockroach, now widespread in California, is often bright reddish-brown (males) or darker and broader (females).
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German cockroaches—a major indoor pest in California—are light brown with two dark lines behind the head.
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American cockroaches, common in sewers and older buildings, have a distinctive yellow band behind the head.
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Oriental cockroaches, often found in damp California crawl spaces, appear shiny and almost black
Characteristics of Roaches
Roaches are omnivores and will eat almost anything: human food, grease, soap, cardboard, pet food, dead insects, and even hair or skin flakes. When food is scarce, they become cannibalistic.
Their survival abilities include:
- Running up to 3 miles per hour
- Surviving long periods without food
- Living a week without water
- Surviving 30 minutes underwater
- Breathing through spiracles along their bodies, enabling them to live briefly without their heads
These adaptations make roaches extremely hard to eliminate without a targeted treatment plan.
Why Roaches Thrive So Easily in California
In California, roaches have an even easier time surviving because:
- The warm weather and mild winters keep them active longer.
- Outdoor species thrive in stucco cracks, block walls, mulch, and irrigation boxes, which are everywhere in California homes.
- Dense urban areas with apartments and restaurants (Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland, San Francisco) allow German roaches to spread quickly between units.
- Drought conditions drive roaches inside seeking water, making indoor sightings more common.
Essentially, California’s environment checks almost every box roaches look for.
Habits of Roaches
Most roaches are nocturnal and prefer to hide during the day. They seek out warm, dark, tight spaces close to food and water sources. Common hiding places include behind appliances, inside cabinets, wall voids, plumbing entry points, basements, and crawl spaces.
They tend to migrate toward moisture and will move into new areas when conditions outside change. American roaches will even travel through sewer lines, crawl spaces, and utility pipes.
Where Roaches Tend to Hide in California Homes
California architecture and landscaping give roaches a lot of hiding spots:
- Roaches often gather around dishwashers, refrigerators, and laundry areas, where moisture builds up.
- Exterior gaps in stucco, foundation lines, and door frames provide easy access points.
- Outdoor species settle around sprinkler systems, mulch, patio edges, and planters, then come inside when temperatures rise or water is limited.
- Older homes or city infrastructure may have sewer or drain access points roaches use to get indoors.
Homeowners often spot roaches near warm appliances or after watering schedules shift.
Where Roaches Are Commonly Found
Roaches look for areas that offer steady warmth, moisture, and shelter. Indoors, that often means:
- Kitchens and food storage areas
- Bathrooms and laundry rooms
- Basements, crawl spaces, and utility rooms
- Behind refrigerators, stoves, and dishwashers
- Inside cabinets or wall voids
- Around leaks or plumbing issues
They will hide during the day and come out at night to feed.
Common Trouble Spots for Roaches in California
In California, roach activity often centers around:
- Irrigation overspray and moist mulch beds in yards
- Stucco cracks, vents, and weep holes, which provide easy access
- Multi-family housing, where German roaches spread through walls and shared plumbing
- Coastal crawl spaces, where Oriental roaches thrive
- Firewood piles and debris, especially in Northern California forests and foothills
These outdoor habitats often act as “starter colonies” that eventually move indoors.